Women hold just one in ten of the top jobs

If senior positions were split equally between the sexes, another 6,000 women would occupy them

Women are still a rarity in the boardroom, holding only one in ten of the top positions in FTSE 100 companies, a study has revealed.

Only a third of the 33,000 most senior positions in all British companies are held by women, despite the fact that females make up nearly half the workforce.

The Equal Opportunities Commission has concluded they are the victims of "a thin veneer of equality" which is often destroyed as soon as they have children. Many become full-time mothers while those who want to keep on working can be penalised if they ask for flexibility in their jobs.

Jenny Watson, chairman of the commission, described the findings of the report - Sex and Power: Who Runs Britain? - as "troubling". She said: "It shows just how slow the pace of change has been in powerful British institutions."

For some jobs, such as museum bosses and local council leaders, the number of women reaching the top of the career ladder has actually fallen since 2003.

The commission's report claims that if senior positions were split equally between the sexes, another 6,000 women would occupy them.

According to its definition, those with "top jobs" include MPs, FTSE 100 directors, secondary school heads and the chief executives of charities.